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| Peak 3126 across the canyon. |
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| Southern California Map. |
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| Driving Map. |
Parking coordinates: 33.21656°N, -116.9341°W.
Hiking Stats:
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| Hiking Map. |
Hellhole Canyon Preserve in Northern San Diego County is one of those little known areas in Southern California. This is true even for hikers. Since there are so many other places to go, this one simply doesn't stand out. Since solitude is something that some visitors appreciate, this makes for a great place to hike, despite still being close to rural neighborhoods. The area preserved seems to be former ranch lands with old ranch roads going through it. With it, I was able to form a loop hike through its notable sites.
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| Heading up the mountain. |
The main trail cuts across a canyon and climbs 2,000' to Peak 3126. The terrain has mostly low lying bushes with limited shade. Because of that, I chose to appear on a cool day. Unfortunately, the skies opened up as I was halfway up the mountain. I had to take cover while I was hailed on.
Fortunately, I was in the thick brush and had decent shade in the hailstorm. As the hail passed, I continued on up to the high point. On the summit is a benchmark and some decent views.
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| Scenic overlook view. |
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| Summit benchmark. |
The trail continues along the ridge to viewpoints and another high point before bending around and looping back to the parking lot. Watching the video in conjunction with my description helps make the visit here clear, since pictures are definitely worth a thousand words!
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| Looking over at Rodriguez Mountain. |
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| Heading back into the canyon. |
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| Canyon scenery. |
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